Cinematic Arts Gets Star Treatment

By Jimmy Kelly on September 16, 2009 8:19 AM

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce gave the Hollywood Walk of Fame a special detour along 37th Street on Sept. 10 to honor the USC School of Cinematic Arts for its eight decades of contributions to film, television and interactive media.

“This is the first time that we have ever recognized an educational institution,” said Hollywood Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Leron Gubler, as he addressed students, faculty, staff and alumni in front of the new Cinematic Arts campus. “USC has played a pivotal role in the building of the entertainment industry, and we felt that SCA definitely deserved special recognition.”

“Can you guys believe this?” an ecstatic dean Elizabeth M. Daley asked the crowd. “On behalf of the SCA family, staff, faculty, students past, present and future, thank you for this wonderful honor, thank you for once again confirming that the school is indeed an important part of this community. We are very humbled by the honor. What a wonderful way to mark our 80th anniversary.”

Daley linked this milestone to another: Feb. 6, 1929, the day that the first class of cinema students met for the school’s inaugural course, “Introduction to Photoplay,” with Douglas Fairbanks Sr. as the special guest lecturer. Since then, more than 10,500 students have graduated from the school to become integral parts of the entertainment industry.

Many USC graduates were on hand for the Walk of Fame ceremony, including John August MFA ’94, Peter Segal ’84 and John Singleton ’90.

“I almost feel like we should be in class,” Singleton said. “I come here to campus and I just have this déjà vu.”

Segal shared that feeling, looking back at his time here, when the school graduated from “the stables” in 1983 to the original George Lucas Building. “It was so sad just walking across the loading dock. It’s gone. It’s where we lived.”

Said August: “It’s really exciting to come back and see the school resemble the spirit of what the school actually is. It’s up to date, it’s modern. The star is such a great capstone to the new building. It was great seeing the students get their pictures taken with the star that they can send to their friends back in Iowa and everywhere else.”

Students gathered with Daley and the notable alumni for numerous photo ops, an instant time capsule capturing the link of multiple cinematic arts generations brought together for the event. The ceremony featured multiple fanfares by the USC Marching Band and the unveiling of the star, complete with an explosion of camera flashes and cardinal and gold streamers.

A special guest was Sid Ganis, who recently completed his final term as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He has a long-standing history of supporting the school's endeavors and was a central figure in bringing a Hollywood star to USC’s campus.

“Many of those who are attending this school right now will one day have their own star, so there is a continuum that exists that kind of starts around here,” Ganis said.

Jason Squire, instructor of cinema practice, said, “The major significance is the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce embracing the long-standing value of SCA in the entertainment community and on a global basis.”

Graduate production student Gavin Harrison chose to measure the award not in global terms, but in terms of time.

“It’s such a cool thing to have a star,” Harrison said. “It’s one of those things that will last forever and you feel great to be a part of it.”

R.J. Olson, his friend and fellow graduate production student, agreed.

“We wanted to be a part of that recognition, a part of history.”

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